‘Fringe' is worthy of a binge

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Each week, TV Rewind recalls a show from the past that we can still watch in reruns, on disc or from a streaming service.

‘FRINGE'

Those who had been waiting to binge on “Fringe,” wait no longer.

The fifth and final season gets released on DVD and Blu-ray today, along with a complete series package, so plan on setting aside 100 hours to consume it en masse.

“Fringe” ranks near the top of TV's sci-fi ladder, a smart show that never let its complex plot overwhelm its strong characters.

Australian actress Anna Torv never got awards attention for her work as steely FBI agent Olivia Dunham, but she certainly deserved it – especially when she was called on to play an alternate-universe version of the character simultaneously. John Noble, better known to some as Denethor in “The Lord of the Rings,” offered a great counterpoint as the brilliant-but-barely-sane scientist Walter Bishop. Joshua Jackson, Lance Reddick, Jasicka Nicole and Blair Brown made up the strong cast of regulars.

Dunham was the key agent of the FBI's “fringe division,” charged with investigating cases that had hard-to-explain circumstances. Over time, we learned how the cases were connected and how the central characters were also central to that mystery.

As with all serials, “Fringe” ran into some story problems as it tried to tread water in its second and third seasons. But with an ending finally in sight, the show rebounded in the final two years.

Ran: 2008-13, five seasons

Length: 100 one-hour episodes. (Pilot ran 1 hour, 35 minutes)

Rating: TV-14

Where to watch: DVD, Blu-ray and for purchase on Amazon Instant Video. First four seasons on Netflix and Hulu. Complete series on Hulu until May 18.

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